Here is another sneak peak from another session in California, again in Temecula. Love this little family so much! We usually do a shoot together each year and it's been so fun to watch their kids grow between each session. Can't wait for them to see the rest of their images. I think this session was my favorite yet!

Alright, I have listened to the many requests and have decided to be better about posting sneak peeks from sessions. So here is the first image from my sessions last week in California. These two little guys were so darling!

I just wanted to pop in and give a huge shout of thanks to everyone who has made my novel Intertwine a great success. Though only out for six weeks, the book already hit Amazon's Hot New list and was listed on USA Today. I so appreciate everyone who has purchased the book. And I particularly appreciate those who have taken the time to leave a review. The book currently has an overall average of 5-stars, so thank you! If you haven't got your copy yet, you still can here. Also, the book is still free to borrow if you have Amazon Prime and own a Kindle device. Come see what everyone is talking about! It's the perfect book for spring break.

I also just returned from a trip to Europe and particularly England where I did research for the next book in the series. We even stayed in a Tudor manor that is similar to Haldon Manor in Intertwine. This is just an iPhone Instagram image, but you get the idea. This is Charlecote Park.

Thanks so much to you all for your kind words of support about my last post. This book has been such a personal project and I so appreciate your encouragement! So thank you!

And also thank you to everyone who jumped in and voted on the cover image in my last blog post. In the end, I completely agreed with those who felt that Cover B (with the figures on top) probably was better graphic design. But Cover A won by a margin of 70% to 30%, because, let's face it, it's more dramatic. I loved seeing how your comments completely encapsulated my difficulties in making the decision. So here is the cover image:

The book has been through final copy edit and I'm just working on finalizing formatting today. It should be up on Amazon as an e-book within the next day or two. The print book should be available through Amazon hopefully by the end of the week.

In the meantime, how's about a book teaser? Just to give you a taste of my fiction writing style and a sense of what to expect. As I've mentioned, the book is historical romance with a time-travel twist. It's meant to be an enjoyable read that is PG-rated and fun. The kind of thing that you would curl up with on the beach and then pass off to your teenage daughter when you're done without worrying about content.

If you want to check out the book description, you can here. Otherwise, just jump in and read the Prologue below. Also, the text can be hard to read on the blog here, so this link takes you to a pdf version, if you'd prefer.

Though secretly Emme Wilde considered it more of a ‘spiritual connection’ than an actual full-blown neurosis.

Of course, her brother, Marc, her mother and a series of therapists all begged to disagree.

Thankfully
her best friend, Jasmine, regularly validated the connection and
considered herself to be Emme’s guide through this divinely mystical
union of predestined souls (her words, not Emme’s). Marc asserted that
Jasmine was not so much a guide as an incense-addled enabler (again, his
words, not Emme’s). Emme was just grateful that anyone considered the
whole affair normal—even if it was only Jasmine’s loose sense of
‘normal.’

Jasmine
always insisted Emme come with her to estate sales, and this one
outside Portland, Oregon proved no exception. Though Jasmine contended this
particular estate sale would be significant for Emme, rambling on about
circles colliding in the vast cosmic ocean creating necessary links
between lives—blah, blah. All typical Jasmine-speak.

Emme
brushed it off, assuming that Jasmine really just wanted someone to
organize the trip: plan the best route to avoid traffic, find a quirky
restaurant for lunch, entertain her on the long drive from Seattle.

At
the estate sale, Emme roamed through the stifling tents, touching the
cool wood of old furniture, the air heavy with that mix of dust, moth
balls and disuse that marks aged things. Jasmine predictably disappeared
into a corner piled with antique quilts, hunting yet again for that
elusive log cabin design with black centers instead of the traditional
red.

But
Emme drifted deeper, something pulling her farther and farther into the
debris of lives past and spent. To the trace of human passing, like
fingerprints left in the paint of a pioneer cupboard door. Stark and
clear.

Usually
Emme would have stopped to listen to the stories around her, the
history grad student in her analyzing each detail. Yet that day she
didn’t. She just wandered, looking for something. Something specific.

If only she could remember what.

Skirting
around a low settee in a back corner, Emme first saw the antique trunk.
A typical mid-nineteenth century traveling chest, solid with mellow
aged wood. It did not call attention to itself. But it stood apart
somehow, almost as if the air were a little lighter around it.

She
first opened the lid out of curiosity, expecting the trunk to be empty.
Instead, she found it full. Carefully shifting old books and papers, Emme found nothing of real interest.

Until she reached the bottom right corner.

There
she found a small object tucked inside a brittle cotton handkerchief.
Gently unwrapping the aged fabric, she pulled out an oval locket.
Untouched and expectant.

Filigree covered the front, its gilt frame still bright and untarnished, as if nearly new.

Emme
turned the locket over, feeling its heft in her hand, the metal cool
against her palm. It hummed with an almost electric pulse. How long had
the locket lain wrapped in the trunk?

Transparent
crystal partially covered the back. Under the crystal, two locks of
hair were woven into an intricate pattern—one bright and fair, the other
a dark chocolate brown. Gilded on top of the crystal, two initials
nestled together into a stylized gold symbol.

She
touched the initials, trying to make them out. One was clearly an F.
But she puzzled over the other for a moment, tracing the design with her
eyes. And then she saw it. Emme sucked in a sharp breath. An E. The
other initial was an E.

She opened the locket, hearing the small pop of the catch.

A gasp.

Her hands tingled.

A sizzling shock started at the back of her neck and then spread.

Him.

There
are moments in life that sear into the soul. Brief glimpses of some
larger force. When so many threads collapse into one. Coalesce into a
single truth.

Seeing him for the first time was one of those moments.

He
gazed intently out from within the right side of the locket: blond,
blue-eyed, chiseled with a mouth hinting at shared laughter. Emme’s
historian mind quickly dated his blue-green, high collared jacket and
crisp, white shirt and neckcloth to the mid-Regency era, probably around
1812, give or take a year.

Emme
continued to look at the man—well, stare actually. His golden hair
finger-combed and deliciously disheveled. Broad shoulders angled
slightly toward the viewer. Perhaps his face a shade too long and his
nose a little too sharp for true beauty. But striking. Handsome even.

Looking expectant, as if he had been waiting for her.

Emme would forever remember the jolt of it.

Surprise and recognition.

She knew him. Had known him.

Somehow, somewhere, in some place.

He felt agonizingly familiar. That phantom part of her she had never realized was lost.

The sensation wasn’t quite deja vu.

More like memory.

Like
suddenly finding that vital thing you didn’t realize had been
misplaced. Like coming up, gasping for air, after nearly drowning and
seeing the world bright and sparkling and new.

She stood mesmerized by him until Jasmine joined her.

“Ooooh, you found him.” The hushed respect in her voice was remarkable. This was Jasmine after all.

Emme nodded mutely.

“Your circles are so closely intertwined. Amazing.”

Jasmine turned the locket in Emme’s hand.

“What does this inscription say?” she asked.

Emme
hadn’t noticed the engraved words on the inside left of the locket
case. But now she read them. Her sudden sharp inhalation seared,
painfully clenching.

Oh. Oh!

The words reverberated through her soul, shattering and profound.

Emme
didn’t recall much more of that day—Jasmine purchasing the locket or
even the little restaurant where they ate lunch. Instead, she only
remembered the endless blur of passing trees on the drive home, the
inscription echoing over and over:

I have a secret I've been
keeping for months now. It's not a huge secret—nothing earth-shattering. But I am
a little shy about it. Which is why I haven't said anything. But now is the
time to come clean.

I wrote a book.

Not a photography book. In fact, I don't think the word "photography"
is even mentioned. It's fiction. As in historical romance, time-travel,
don't-judge-me fiction.

It's a long story how I ended up writing a fiction book (which I'll spare you
for now). As many of you know, I have an MA in English and taught technical
writing for ten years. I have written more textbooks—photography and not—than I
can easily count (Fourteen? Fifteen?). Turns out that technical writing and
creative writing are not as far apart as you might think. Writing is writing, in
the end.

So just transfer all my love of dramatic flair and obsessive eye for technical
detail into fiction and you have this book: a compelling tightly-plotted
storyline, dynamic characters, snappy dialogue and a satisfying ending. Sound
good?
How's about a book description? The book is called Intertwine.

Time is not a river. It is a vast
cosmic sea. Where each life exists as rippling circles on its surface, past and
future being eternally present. And occasionally, one expanding ring
intertwines with that of another, weaving the lives of two people together. . .
.

In 2012, Emme Wilde can’t find the right guy. She
wants to feel that swept-off-your-feet dizziness of true love. But so far, her
dating life has come up short. Star Trek geek? Nice but too serious. Hippy
artist? Cute but too vulnerable. Instead, Emme obsesses over the portrait
of an unknown man in an old locket. Granted, a seriously hot guy with
delicious, wind-swept hair she just itches to run her fingers through. But
still. Dead men may be great listeners, but they are not exactly boyfriend
material. Emme travels to England, determined to uncover his history and
conquer the strong connection she feels.

In 1812, James Knight has given up finding the right
woman. All he wants is someone to share his love of adventure.
Instead, his life has become a Shakespearean drama. His brother languishes
in a tragic star-crossed romance. His beloved sister clings to life, slowly
dying of consumption. But then he finds a beautiful mystery woman—dripping wet
and half-dead—beneath a tree on his estate. Now if he can uncover her history,
perhaps adventure—and romance—will find him at last.

So that's your plot teaser . . . The book is in final
(final!) copy edit this week and should be released next week on Amazon. I chose not to
seek a publisher for it (loooong story there too) and will instead go the indie
publish route.

Which means that right now I'm trying to finalize the
cover. And I would love some help making the decision, because I've stared at
these two options for so long, I fear I'll go cross-eyed.

After months of work, our new digital workshop—Mastering On-Camera Flash—is finally here! I'm so excited about this workshop. Even better, scroll down to find out how to win our entire Digital Workshop Collection!

Best of all, we've launched this workshop at the amazing price of only $29 (reg $49) which also includes a $20 gift certificate. See all the details here and don't miss out on this crazy price, good until September 30, 2013.

Let's face it. On-camera flash is hardly anyone's idea of exciting, powerful photography. I can't think of a time that I've run out the door to a photosession, giddy with excitement over using my speedlight on-camera.

That being said, on-camera flash is the one skill that saves the day. Every.Single.Time. It's not a "sexy" thing to know, but it's the one skill that can save a difficult situation. And when you really know what you're doing with on-camera flash, the light from a bare bulb flash can be flattering and even pretty. I'm often amazed at how soft and natural on-camera flash can look.

Here's a case in point. The first image was shot without my flash firing, so you can see that my model was a little dark and shadowy with the background being a little bright. The two images after were taken with the same metering, only with my flash firing. Both images were taken with bare bulb flash pointed straight at my model. You actually get to watch me shoot these images on the workshop supplemental videos.

A more images from the workshop. I love that the workshop doesn't rely on any gadgets or diffusers. Instead, it just focuses on how to use your flash bare-bulb to get the best results. I love that these images were all taken using on-camera flash in a variety of situations.

Don't miss out on this amazing workshop!

Even better, to celebrate this launch, we'll be giving away our entire Digital Workshop Collection which also includes our Mastering On-Camera Flash workshop to one lucky person. To enter, just post a reply to this blog post. If you already own tour Digital Collection or the new workshop, no worries. If you win, we will refund your purchase! We'll announce a winner on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Don't miss out! I'm
planning on shooting in a grassy field rimmed with trees and autumn
leaves and hopefully will be able to haul out my red velvet antique couch. The sessions will be held on Sept 21st and Sept 28th going from late afternoon until sunset. You will get proof copy of every image I can take in 25 minutes on disk for printing, plus one completely retouched art print digital file with a corresponding 8x10 physical print of the art file.

This is the best deal that we've run in years for family photos. Call, text or email me (nichole @ nicholeV.com) today to get on my schedule, as we have a very limited number of spots!

Well, I'm so loving my birthday week! Who knew that turning 40 could be so much fun?

We're still doing the deals and amazing giveaways. Hop over to our Flourish Facebook page and share our post for a chance to win everything in our Flourish shop (over $1100 worth of products!).

And also don't miss out on today's incredible savings! Until 4pm MDT today, we have marked down our Creative Burst Collection to only $40. That is 7 of our most popular sets for the price of 1, a savings of over 85%. So don't miss out!

And in case you missed our blog post here, sign up for our newsletter and get some wonderful new freebies—a free sunflare overlay and 8 darling wallpapers for your phone/tablet/computer. I'm in love with them! I find myself turning my devices on and off, just to see my lock screen, haha.And everything in our Flourish shop is 40% off for the rest of the week. Just enter

Well, this Friday is my 40th birthday, and seeing how it's my birthday and my birthday week, I decided I'd have some fun! I mean, you only turn 40 once, right? And I figured I could either spend my birthday sad that I'm growing older, or I could throw a virtual online party with giveaways, insane savings and freebies all week. And me being me, why be sad when I can throw a party instead? I'm so appreciative of all of you and your support and friendship. So I decided that this week would be about giving back!

So welcome to Black Friday Week, where we'll have deals and
freebies all week long, all to celebrate my BIG 4-0.

To kick
things off, enjoy this coupon code for 40% off you entire Flourish Emporium purchase,
including bundles. Just enter the code

Celebrate40

at checkout.

And as a gift from me to you, I have created special new freebies of my favorite things—8 darling wallpapers for your smart phone/tablet/computer
desktop and a free sunflare overlay for
Photoshop or PSE.

Here are sample images of all 8 of the wallpapers. I'm so in love with these. They come from some of my favorite Victorian artists: Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, and William Morris. Others are just some of my favorite designs (and a chevron background thrown in cause who doesn't love chevron?!). And everyone knows how much I love me some sunflare. So here is this yummy free sunflare overlay for free too!To download these freebies, just visit Flourish Emporium and sign up for our newsletter. (The link is at the bottom left of our homepage.) After you sign up, you'll be sent details on how to download your freebies. If you already receive our newsletter, we have already sent you an email with information on how to download these new freebies.

Also, stay tuned to our Facebook page, as we will be doing
daily giveaways and added savings between now and Friday for those who pay
attention!

Don't miss out on all the fun! And thanks for celebrating my birthday with me!

For this month's Elevate project, I decided to show a little Photoshop work on a recent engagement shoot. The shoot was a LOT Of fun . . . . involving some antique airplanes, vintage suitcases and some wonderful period styling. My editing for both of these images closely followed this YouTube tutorial I did showing one of my fav action recipes (minus the sunflare, obviously, haha).

For this first image, the groom's adorable daughter joined in for some of the images. I loved her cute Shirley Temple outfit and she was great to act bored for a couple frames. So here is the image SOOC:

And here is one of my final edits. I wanted to minimize the distracting background and straighten and center the image a little more.

With this second image, I shot this using an off-camera light. But I didn't want to bother lighting the plane too, so I exposed the background more for the airplane than for the sky. As a consequence, I lost some detail in my sky.

So with my edit, I did a manual merge of two exposures of the original RAW file to bring detail back into the sky.

There are many more images from this shoot that I'm dying to play with, haha, but this will have to do for now. To continue this circle, hop on over to kamee june photography orange county, caand see what she's done this month!

Nichole Van has repeatedly been labeled as a hot, new, up and coming photographer. As a Utah wedding photographer and a Utah
portrait photographer, she specializes in turning everyday life into art. Nichole loves expressing the unique beauty of
every client, creating artistic images that make people gasp when they see them.

As an international award-winning photographer, Nichole won the prestigious International 8x10 Portrait of the Year from
Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) for 2007. Consequently, her international award winning photography
was featured in Rangefinder Magazine in June 2008. She has also taken First, Second and Third place honors from WPPI in other
international competitions for her child and family photography. Additionally, Nichole has received numerous Accolades of
Excellence and currently holds an Accolade of Photographic Mastery from WPPI.

In addition to her love for photography, Nichole loves teaching and enjoyed being English faculty at Brigham Young University
for nearly 10 years. As the best of both worlds, teaching photography to others is her passion. Nichole currently offers
international photography workshops focusing on helping others enhance creativity and artistry in their photos. Combining her
excellence in teaching with her photographic knowledge, Nichole’s Life as Art Workshops are quickly revamping industry standards
for photographic workshops.

Nichole lives in southern Utah County with her husband and three children. You can see her work at www.nicholeV.com.